Becoming an Orthodox Monk

Many people wonder
how to become an Orthodox monk. This blog, ‘Orthodox Monk’, attempts to answer
that question after a fashion and according to how we, the blog author,
understand Orthodox monasticism.

This blog has been
composed much like a book. The curious will find information on becoming an
Orthodox monk not in a specific post but in the blog taken as a whole. If
anyone is interested in ‘Orthodox Monk’s views on how to become an Orthodox
monk, they should read the archives of this blog.(

In particular we
recommend that they read the full text of the tonsure to the Great Schema. We
have also posted separately basic commentary on the meaning of the vows and
more general commentary on the broader implications of the vows. These links
are also available at the beginning of the post that has the full text of the
tonsure.

Now the curious
might think that Orthodox monasticism is interesting but that the Great Schema
is beyond his or her abilities. That may or may not be true. However, the Great
Schema is the standard and criterion of all Orthodox monasticism. A detailed
study of the Service of Tonsure to the Great Schema is important for the
curious seeker who wishes to understand ‘what Orthodox monasticism is all
about’. There is a principle in liturgical studies: ‘As the Church prays, so it
believes.’ A primary source for the theology of Orthodox monasticism is the
actual Service of Tonsure to the Great Schema where the Orthodox Church prays
corporately.

That having been
said, here is a summary of our views on becoming an Orthodox monk or nun:

First of all, you
have to be a member of the Orthodox Church. In this regard we would caution the
curious that out there is a plethora of pseudo-Orthodox churches, jurisdictions
and monasteries which are more nests of snakes than havens of salvation. We
would strongly recommend that any reader who is not a member of a canonical
Orthodox Church—a Church in communion with the Patriarchs and Archbishops of
the various national churches that are historically recognized as Orthodox—get
his or her position regularized before proceeding further in actualizing his or
her interest in Orthodox monasticism. No point setting sail in a rotten ship.

Next, becoming an
Orthodox monk or nun is not like becoming a lawyer or doctor or accountant. A
lawyer or doctor or accountant can practise wherever he wants in his
jurisdiction. You have to become a monk or nun in a particular monastery. That
monastery has to be recognized by the particular jurisdiction that you belong
to. Part of the process of becoming an Orthodox monk or nun is finding a
monastery suitable for you. In the history of Orthodox monasticism, this has
ordinarily been seen as a matter of finding an Elder who can guide you and of
joining yourself to that Elder in the monastery where he himself is located. Be
that as it may, no one becomes an Orthodox monk or nun ‘at large’: a monk or
nun must always be written into some monastery or other, whether or not he or
she has found a particular guide in that monastery. And that monastery is
ultimately under the authority of the local Bishop.

Next, Orthodox
monasticism is difficult. It is not for everyone. As Christ himself says in the
Gospel concerning the life of chastity: ‘This word is not for everyone but for
those to whom it has been given.’ To become an Orthodox monk or nun, you have
to be called.

Next, a study of
the text of the vows of the Great Schema will make clear just what is being
renounced and what is being embraced. Do not be deceived. The monastery is not
a refuge for homosexuals, paedophiles, those fearful of the opposite sex or
those who cannot ‘make it in the world’. It is a difficult life. It is for
those who seek to unite themselves to God. For those who are willing to
struggle to do so.

The Service of
Tonsure includes the admonition: ‘You have chosen a good work (in becoming a
monk or nun), but only if you bring it to completion.’ People fall on the way.
That is why there is always a period of novitiate. The postulant has to test
the monastery and test himself or herself—and be tested!—whether he or she
really has a vocation and to that particular monastery: whether he or she can
carry their cross in the particular monastery where they are doing their
novitiate. And as the service of tonsure points out, the crosses get heavier,
not lighter, as the monastic life proceeds.

You have to be in
love to become a monk or nun—in love with Jesus, in love with his Father, in
love with the Holy Spirit. You have to be determined, unwilling to back down.
But at the same time humble and obedient. We do not come to the monastery
expecting Grace to be showered down on us but the calling of the monk or nun is
to a union in love with the Holy Trinity in this life—to the extent possible given
who we are and given the human condition of life in the flesh.

Next, the canons of
the Orthodox Church forbid a monk from seeking ordination to the priesthood:
ordination must be offered by his Superior. The importance of this is that the
postulant has to be clear in his mind just what his vocation really is and what
he can expect once he becomes a monk. We do not come to the monastery expecting
to become teachers: those who want to teach others, assuming that they are not
just confused, should consider the priesthood rather than the monastic life.
The case of the unmarried priest is special and does not really belong to the
scope of this blog.

Finally, you have
to be right with God to become a monk or nun. Do you attend Church? Do you go
to confession? Do you lead a moral life? These are fundamental questions that
we must ask ourselves. Start with a good confession to a sound priest. Discuss
with him your interest in the monastic state. See what he has to say. And may
God direct your steps.

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